Zehan (Urdu for Mind) is a psychological thriller directed by Dhiren Dimri that stars Aarya Babbar and Surbhi Mahendru. Saying anything about this movie is proving to be quite difficult for me because I can’t type while rolling on the floor laughing about it. It’s one of those movies that is so bad that it is hilarious. It gives a strong competition to the 2003 masterpiece (of the so-bad-it’s-hilarious genre) The Room, but to be fair, Zehan, is a little bit better than the Tommy Wiseau film and hence will lose that competition. The film does have a couple of old-school bangers that I liked.
Spoilers Ahead
Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Film?
Zehan begins by showing us a couple deeply, madly, and passionately in love, but they have had a fight. Hence, they go on a trip. The couple also carries their kid around on this trip, and he becomes a bit of a problem for the husband. Not because he isn’t able to love his wife, but because the kid sees him kill her. The wife must have been an orphan, which is why there was no police case of any kind and nobody came to inquire about her. But her memory was disrespected when the newly widowed husband brought in his mistress to live in the house. Akash (that’s the kid, by the way) was thrashed black and blue by this new couple, and it was the father who did more of the damage. Akash once had the misfortune of seeing the new couple make love, and naturally, something was bound to change in him that day.
How Did Mona Grow Fond Of Akash?
The screenplay jumps twenty or so years ahead, and Akash is a dashing hunk now who has enough money to buy branded clothes and drive an SUV as well. What he does is unclear, but visiting pubs is one way he liked to spend his spare time. There, he saw a girl named Mona, and he was smitten. He had an unusually chivalrous way of reaching a woman’s heart. He saved Mona from some goons and gave her a lift in his SUV as her scooter had some issues. On that one ride home, Mona grew so fond of Akash that she invited him in, but the chivalrous Akash declined, as making friends was not the end goal for him. Mona lived with a roommate named Nisha, and they worked in a company where Ajay, a dork, fancied her, and Mona found a good way to discourage him from ever asking her out on a date.
Why Did Nisha Stay Silent Against Akash?
Nisha introduced Mona to her new boyfriend, and it turns out it was the stoic and chivalrous Akash, who had given her a lift a few days ago. Mona behaved as if Akash were her boyfriend and not Nisha’s. Nisha played along as she thought Mona was trying to deter boys like Ajay. But things were serious between the two. Mona and Akash traveled to different scenic locations and professed their love for each other. Poor Nisha was left high and dry. When she confronted Akash about his abominable behavior, he showed a short video where one could see Nisha making out with Akash. Akash warned Nisha that she had to stay quiet about his true nature, and if Mona ever got to know about it, the video would go viral on YouTube. Before letting Nisha go, he raped her, and she had to make a choice: go to the police or ask Ajay and his friends for help. She chose the latter.
How Did Nisha Plan To Save Mona?
Nisha had understood that Akash was a psychopath, and her best friend Mona was totally head over heels in love with him. She tried talking some sense into her, but Mona was in seventh heaven. She had met the man of her dreams. Ajay tried to pick a fight with Akash, but Akash made him apologize by telling Mona about her friends’ intolerable behavior. Nisha made a plan to frustrate Akash by taking Mona away on a trip. She made Mona patch up with Ajay, telling her that it was all a big misunderstanding. Ajay and his friends took some pictures of Mona enjoying with the group and sent them to Akash. If you know Akash by now, you can anticipate what is coming next. He grew furious and kidnapped a sleeping Mona without disturbing the rest, who remained fast asleep. Though there was no network on anybody’s mobile, neither had anybody sent him the location of the resort they were in, yet Akash was able to find Mona, and he brought her back to his house.
Why Had Akash Become A Psychopath?
Nisha and Ajay woke up to find Mona missing. They went to the police station and told a cop that perhaps Mona had called Akash and told him about the resort, which is why he could get to her. Mona woke up in Akash’s bedroom and was thrilled because she thought this was a surprise Nisha had planned for her, as they had become friends again. But Akash was in no mood to play games.
He showed his true psychopathic face and locked her in. Akash has always had a thing for her, ever since he saw her in the pub. He had befriended Nisha just to reach Mona, which was not required, as she was already smitten. But anyway, Akash liked to stick to his plans, and there was a concrete reason why it had to be Mona who would be his bride. It turns out he killed a man and his wife a while back. Apparently, the woman he killed looked exactly like Mona. The corpse was rotting in Akash’s backyard, and as he had found her replacement, it was time to bury it and give her a final goodbye. But the police arrived and killed Akash. In a flashback, we see how he killed his father and his mistress at a tender age. How he grew up without any caretaker or guardian is mystifying, but that incident, combined with the murder of his mother, was enough to make him lose his mind. Nisha and Mona were going to be his next victims, but they survived. Akash was a psychopath who had to be neutralized, and Mona was fortunate she did not end up like the bride. Nisha’s video won’t ever be made viral now, and she might get hold of it herself and delete it, and then perhaps go to therapy to recover from the trauma Akash had given her.
